International Scientific Community Workshop Series on the Access and Benefit Sharing of Digital Sequence Information

Sequences of biological macromolecules, such as DNA, RNA, and proteins (collectively “digital sequence information” or DSI) have become increasingly important to advancing scientific research and discovery worldwide. Information of this kind helps scientists understand how genes affect organisms’ shape, physiology, behavior, and function. In turn, this knowledge provides the raw material for innovations that will advance human health, food security, and the preservation of biodiversity as the climate changes rapidly.

The free and unfettered exchange of non-commercial DSI enables the global community of researchers, educators, biodiversity collections managers, students, and innovators, including those in the United States, to work fluidly with each other to enable scientific progress. Such free flow of information is not guaranteed. Discussions have been taking place under the auspices of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and other multilateral bodies to apply a principle known as access and benefit sharing (ABS), which was initially developed for physical biological specimens, such as a plant or an insect, to DSI as well.

For the most part, the scientists whose research projects depend on openly sharing DSI do not have a seat at the table at which decisions about DSI are being made. This could result in limiting access to information that is currently freely available; indeed, many scientists are unaware that the conversations are even taking place. It is important, then, to ensure that scientists and scientific societies in the United States and elsewhere become more fully engaged in these deliberations, in part by highlighting the importance of transnational collaborations that depend on the exchange of DSI, and making recommendations for how related benefits can be shared.

This project will engage scientific societies, most of which have international memberships, to co-host a workshop series that will educate the community on the issues, perspectives, and requirements that are associated with discussions about DSI/ABS in the context of the CBD. The workshops are slated to begin in late summer or early fall of 2021, before the major CBD biodiversity negotiations to be held in Kunming, China (tentatively in October 2021), and will extend into 2022.

Activities will include talks from high profile US and international scientists and facilitated discussions tailored to the scientific societies’ concerns, which will help to build capacity within societies to accelerate compliant and outstanding biodiversity science across geopolitical borders and to develop recommendations that may be helpful to parties to the CBD.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.